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July 18, 2012

I WANT MY HAT BACK by Jon Klassen, 2011

A picture-book
delight by a rising talent tells a cumulative tale with a mischievous
twist. The bear’s hat is gone, and he wants it back. Patiently and
politely, he asks the animals he comes across, one by one, whether they have
seen it. Each animal says no, some more elaborately than others. But just as
the bear begins to despond, a deer comes by and asks a simple question that
sparks the bear’s memory and renews his search with a vengeance. Told
completely in dialogue, this delicious take on the classic repetitive tale
plays out in sly illustrations laced with visual humor— and winks at the reader
with a wry irreverence that will have kids of all ages thrilled to be in on the
joke. (Goodreads)

Reviewed by
Laura Madsen, mom, veterinarian & writer

I WANT MY HAT
BACK is the funniest picture book I’ve read in a long time. It’s rather hard to
write a review of a picture book that contains less than 200 words, but I’ll
try!

The story is
told entirely through dialogue and follows a big, fat bear as he asks other
animals if they’ve seen his hat. He asks a fox, a frog, a rabbit (who is
wearing a pointy red hat, has a devious expression on his face, and answers the
bear evasively), a turtle, a snake and an armadillo. The poor bear collapses in
despair, saying, “My poor hat. I miss it so much.” An elk wanders by and asks
the bear, “What’s the matter?” The bear starts to describe his missing hat (red
and pointy) and realizes, “I HAVE SEEN MY HAT.” I won’t spoil the ending by
telling you what happens to the thieving rabbit, but kids will roll with
laughter.

My
daughters, ages 5 and 7, ask for this book every night at story time. They
laugh hysterically, especially at the end. Highly recommended for kids in the
four-to-eight-year-old range. Younger kids probably won’t understand the twist
ending but will enjoy the pictures.